Dushanbe, 17 September 2021 (TDI): The President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev encouraged other countries to unfreeze Afghan assets held in foreign banks to facilitate talks with the Taliban government in Kabul. He spoke at the Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a security bloc run by China and Russia.
Uzbekistan borders Afghanistan. He urged for dialogue between the organization and the Taliban in an attempt to avoid the rise of extremism. Russian President Vladimir Putin also called for ties between the SCO and Kabul but made no additional specific recommendations.
In the same meeting, Pakistan’s Prime Minister also appealed for economic aid for the Afghans. He said that the healthy engagement of the international community with Afghanistan is very important. Pakistan has always been accused of having deep relations with the Taliban and of helping them against US-led invasion. Imran Khan denied all charges.
